Proverbs 2:16-22 16. To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17. Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 19. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Verse 16 - To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;

[A] Solomon goes on to explain what Wisdom does for you. [1] Keep in mind that he is speaking to a man, but the same principle applies to a woman as well

[B] Wisdom delivers you from a strange woman [1] What is he referring to here when he speaks of a strange woman? [a] When a strange woman in spoke of in the bible it is referring to a prostitute [b] This would also hold true for anyone who is practicing sex outside marriage [2] Wisdom, the knowledge of God, understanding of His Holy word, gives one the knowledge to stay clear of sexual predators, and those who only want to use us for their gain. [a] Unfortunately, many in the church today apparently do not have this wisdom for they are falling prey to sexual sins [b] Many are claiming to have a relationship with Jesus, yet they live together as husband and wife, forsaking the commandments of God, and committing sin [c] Others are falling prey to lust as they fill their heart and head with pictures of Pornography – Jesus said to look on a woman and lust for her is committing adultery in one’s heart. [3] Wisdom delivers you [a] When a person understands God, both his goodness and his judgment, they will refrain form sexual sins [b] The bible is clear what will happen to those who practice these things

[C] The stranger which flattereth with her words [1] One of Satan’s ploys is to flatter with words, [2] He uses others to convince people to do things God says is a sin [a] For instance – There is a lot of false teaching today which tells us God will not punish those who are doing wrong. [b] There is teaching that says God will not condemn the wicked because he is s God of Love [3] God will not allow an unrepentant sinner into his heaven [4] God gave too much to allow man or woman to enter heaven without accepting and following his son, and keeping his commandments [5] Wisdom teaches us to disregard the things Satan teaches, and cling to the things God tells us.

Verse 17 - Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

[A] Which forsaketh the guide of her youth [1] Which leaves her father's house [2] Which leaves the instructions of her youth [3] Who abandons herself to the public

[B] And forgetteth the covenant of her God [1] Again, this holds true for anyone who forsakes the teaching of God [2] This holds true for those who know what is right, but does wrong anyway [a] Hebrews 10:26 26. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, [b] When one knows better, when one has the wisdom of God in their heart, and still sins willfully, there is no sacrifice for their sin, [1-a] The sacrifice for our sin, is the blood of Jesus which was shed for us [2-a] His blood covers our transgressions, so if we do not have this blood covering, because of willful sinning, we have not forgiveness for our sins

Verse 18 - For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.

[A] He continues talking about the prostitute, and for that matter any who practices sin

[B] For her house inclineth unto death [1] Here is s warning, just going to here house is harmful [2] Being associated with her, is the beginning of death

[C] Here path leads to death [1] She is on the way to eternal death [2] If one is associated with her and lets her talk them into using her, they are heading down the road to death as well

[D] Off all the sins in the bible, Sexual sins are one the worst. [1] Sexual sins is sin with another [2] Intercourse is a joining of two into one, without the blessing or consent of God

Verse 19 - None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

[A] There are few instances of prostitutes ever returning to the paths of sobriety and truth;

[B] When a man goes into a harlot, he is joined to her, [1] Even though he goes his separate way, he is still joined to her – they have become one [2] The same holds true with any sexual activities.

[C] Many Prostitutes are trapped by the lifestyle they lead, and they cannot get themselves away from it. [1] They cannot earn that kind of money elsewhere [2] Often they are trapped by the pimps [3] Often they are trapped because of drug addiction [4] Men do not want to marry a used woman making their later years lonely [5] Some die of aids, or other diseases that

Verse 20 - That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

[A] That thou mayest walk in the way of good me [1] When Wisdom teaches you to stay away from the evil people in the world, then you can walk in the way of the good man [2] We must avoid the way of the evil man, and the strange woman, in order that we may walk in good ways; [3] We must cease to do evil, in order that we may learn to do well.

[B] By following the teaching of God, and refraining from sin, you will follow the path of righteousness

Verse 21 - For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.

[A] Two reasons are given why we should choose the proper way to live [1] The upright shall dwell in the land [1-a] The upright shall dwell in the land, peaceably and quietly as long as they live; and their uprightness will contribute to it, as it settles their minds, guides their counsels, gains them the good-will of their neighbors, and entitles them to God's special favor. [2-a] This may not happen in the physical, but it will indeed happen in the spiritual. [2] The perfect shall remain in it [1-a] They shall dwell and remain for ever in heaven [2-a] Here in this verse, Solomon is speaking to the Israelites about Canaan and God preserving them, but it goes deeper than that, for those who are perfect in their ways, will inherit a place in heaven where they will dwell for ever and ever

Verse 22 - But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

[A] Those who choose the way of the evil man shall be cut off, not only from heaven hereafter and all hopes of that, but from the earth now, on which they set their affections, and in which they lay up their treasure. [a] The evil man or woman will not receive the blessings of God [b] They will seem to be prosperous, but inwardly they shall be miserable

Proverbs 3:1-4 1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4. So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

[A] Forget not my law [1] Remember what thou hast heard [a] I am reminded of what God told the Children of Israel in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Deuteronomy 6:4-9 4. Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: 5. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. [b] It is important to know what God’s word tells us – It should be readily available to us from memory, so that we know what sin is, and not do it. [2] Practice what thou dost remember [a] Those memories of what God’s word says are no good, unless we do them [b] Knowledge of the bible is no good unless we put what we know into practice

[B] Let thy heart keep my commandments. [1] Obedience to God’s word should be such that it is second nature to us [2] When it comes from the heart, it is done happily, without knowledge and for the right Purpose [3] What this really means is that we have made following God a part of our life, it is engrained in our being

Verse 2 - For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

[A] How can following the commandments and doing what God wills for us add to your life. [1] It removes the worry and stress that is associated with life, when we place our trust totally in God [2] By doing what God tells us to do, we will live a wholesome and pure life

[B] Where does peace come from [1] Peace comes from God, [2] The earth will never have peace [3] The peace of God is in the heart

Verse 3 - Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine Heart

[A] Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: [1] Mercy [a] We are not to let mercy leave us [b] Mercy is our love for others, [1-a] Jesus said we were to love our neighbor as ourself [2-1] He said that we were to love our enemies [3-1] He said that we were to love one another [2] Let not truth forsake thee [a] We are living in a time when we need to really acknowledge this as truth is being altered and taken away from us [1-a] There is a great number of folks today who choose to believe lies instead of the truth [2-a] Lies are being taught in the classrooms and in some cases even in the church [b] Jesus said he was the way, the truth and the life [1-a] To forsake the truth is to forsake Christ

[B] Bind them around your neck [1] Both mercy and truth should be remembered, [2] He said to bind them around your neck [a] They are so important that one should if necessary wear them so they are not forgotten

[C] Write them upon the table of thy heart [1] How does one write them on the heart [a] By making them a part of your life. [b] By doing them

Verse 4 - So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

[A] When one shows others mercy, they are highly favored [1] God favors them because they are being obedient to his word [2] Man favors them because they see their goodness being put into action

[B] When one believes the truth and follows it they are highly favored [1] God favors them because they believe in him, and his son who is truth and they adhere to his Teaching [2] Man favors them because they are doing good instead of bad [a] They can be trusted [b] They are worthy of respect [c] They show love instead of hate [d] They are a friend to all